ALX, Anthropic, and the Government of Rwanda Launch "Chidi" to Advance AI-Ready Education Across Africa
ALX, Anthropic, and the Government of Rwanda are partnering to make AI a practical tool for educators, learners, and civil servants. The initiative centers on "Chidi," an AI learning companion powered by Anthropic's Claude model that strengthens critical thinking and problem-solving.
As ALX's Fred Swaniker put it, "This partnership represents a bold leap forward in redefining how African talent learns, works, and leads in the age of AI. Together with Anthropic and the Government of Rwanda, we are ensuring that Africa's youth are not just consumers of AI but creators."
Why this matters for ministries and school leaders
- One of Africa's largest AI-in-education efforts, built to align with Rwanda's Vision 2050 and accelerate digital transformation.
- Phase 1 reached ALX learners across the continent with 1,100+ conversations and 4,000 chats in two days-evidence of real usage and demand.
- Phase 2 pilots Chidi in Rwanda's higher learning institutions, engaging up to 2,000 educators and a select group of civil servants through ALX's AI Career Essentials program.
- Focus areas: lesson planning, classroom engagement, feedback workflows, and everyday productivity.
What Chidi delivers
- For educators: A planning partner for lesson design, student engagement ideas, and time-saving feedback support.
- For learners: On-demand guidance and practice that builds confidence and creativity-available 24/7.
Graduates of the pilot receive one year of access to Claude tools like Claude Pro for individuals and Claude Code for developer teams within government, extending impact beyond the program.
Safe, responsible AI at the core
Anthropic provides the Claude large language model and technical guidance to deploy AI responsibly. Elizabeth Kelly, Head of Beneficial Deployments at Anthropic, noted, "We believe transformative AI should be accessible to learners everywhere, regardless of geography." Learn more about Claude at Anthropic's site.
Policy, localization, and scale
A joint working group (ALX, Anthropic, Government of Rwanda) will document insights from the pilot to inform national AI policy in education. The team will also explore Chidi for Schools and localized African language models-so classrooms get tools that reflect local needs and context.
Implementation model
- ALX: Training, delivery, and on-the-ground implementation to help institutions adopt AI effectively.
- Government of Rwanda: Ministry of Education and Ministry of ICT provide policy infrastructure and access to institutions. The government carries no financial commitments under this partnership, while providing critical leadership and coordination.
- Access for participants: One year of Claude Pro and Claude Code access for graduates inside government to sustain usage and capability building.
What leaders can do next
- Identify high-impact use cases: lesson planning templates, formative feedback, assessment rubrics, admin workflows, and student support.
- Nominate pilot coordinators in each institution and set clear KPIs (e.g., hours saved per lesson, number of AI-assisted lesson plans, student engagement gains).
- Schedule short, recurring teacher enablement sessions; create a community of practice to share prompts, workflows, and results.
- Collect evidence (before/after time studies, quality samples) and feed findings into the working group to refine national guidance.
Leadership voices
Joseph Nsengimana, Rwanda's Minister of Education: "Rwanda, and Africa at large, aspires to place safe AI in the hands of educators… Chidi is designed to free up teachers' time in lesson preparation and personalized feedback, while also sparking curiosity among students."
Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT & Innovation: "This collaboration is a step forward in equipping our youth and workforce with the skills needed for the 21st century. By initiating AI training for civil servants, we are ensuring that our workforce is prepared to engage responsibly with emerging technologies."
What this signals for Africa
Rwanda serves as the launch hub and model for future deployments across Africa. With ALX's learning infrastructure, Anthropic's technology, and public-sector leadership, the program provides a clear path from ambition to implementation.
For systems leaders, the takeaway is simple: pair responsible AI with practical training, measure value in hours saved and learning gains, and scale what works.
Related resources
- Rwanda's long-term development vision: Vision 2050
- About Claude: Anthropic Claude
- Professional development on Claude and generative AI: Claude Certification (Complete AI Training)
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